Why are employee engagement surveys important?
While global employee engagement dropped during the pandemic, it reached a record high of 23% in 2022. In the UK, just 10% of employees feel engaged, while 14% feel actively disengaged. Employees who feel engaged have increased wellbeing, better retention rates, lower absenteeism and higher productivity than those who are dissatisfied. By learning what is preventing employees from feeling connected and appreciated, you can take steps to improve engagement and boost overall business performance.
No matter how insightful your employee engagement questions are, asking workers to fill out a survey is meaningless if you don’t take steps to address issues that are highlighted in the process. You should treat it as a collaborative exercise, and request further clarification if needed to implement effective changes. Remember as well to follow up with further employee engagement surveys at a cadence of your choice, for example monthly, quarterly or every six months to measure improvement.
The importance of asking the right employee engagement questions
Asking the right employee engagement survey questions is somewhat of a science in itself. Asking the wrong questions, or even asking the right ones in the wrong way, can yield insights that lead to the wrong strategies being implemented.
How to set your employee engagement survey up for success
There are many different factors that can affect the success of your engagement survey. Not asking enough questions limits the depth of your insights, while having too many questions can cause employees to stop paying attention, give less detailed responses, or abandon the survey altogether. Other common pitfalls include not offering enough insightful variety in multiple choice answers, including too many long-form questions, not having a good balance of quantitative and qualitative questions, and not conducting employee engagement surveys regularly enough.
Should you use Likert scales?
Likert scales use ratings-based responses such as levels of agreement, preference, frequency, importance or interest. They can be useful for providing insightful answers to employee engagement survey questions without requiring high levels of details from respondents. However, they can be limiting and pose the issue of providing invalid data should a respondent interpret the scale incorrectly, such as selecting ‘strongly disagree’ instead of ‘strongly agree’, so be sure to make this clear for the respondent. They are often accompanied by a free-form text box for additional information, where employees can provide written feedback to support the rating.
What the research says and why this matters for your employee engagement survey
The CIPD Good Work Index surveys more than 5,000 UK workers across different sectors about their work and employment, offering insights into how to improve working lives. The 2023 Good Work Index shows some interesting statistics about employees’ feelings and experiences in the workplace.
Some statistics relating to employee engagement from this report include:
- 69% of people thought their work was useful for their organisation
- 45% were motivated by the core purpose of their organisation
- 46% agreed that their work contributed to their personal growth
- 50% said that time flies at work always or often
- 49% were enthusiastic about their job always or often
- 28% felt full of energy at work always or often
- 16% felt bored at work always or most of the time
- 13% felt lonely at work always or most of the time
- 13% felt miserable at work always or most of the time
These are just some of the topics you might consider focusing on for your own engagement survey. The results of the 2023 Good Work Index can be used as a benchmark for your own employee engagement analysis.
24 employee engagement survey questions
We’ve put together some example employee engagement questions to inspire your own survey. To help you to focus on the areas that are most important for your business and employee engagement strategies, we’ve separated them into categories:
- Overview questions
- Development and progression
- Leadership, their performance and communication
- Diversity and inclusion
- Alignment to company goals and company culture
- Resources and enablement
- Employee satisfaction
- Open-ended engagement questions
Employee engagement benchmark questions
Start your survey with a brief set of fairly broad questions about the company that can be answered quickly using a Likert scale. This allows the questions to be used as a benchmark for future surveys to easily see whether employee engagement has increased or decreased since the last survey.
Here are some examples of benchmark questions for your employee engagement survey:
1. [Company] is a great place to work
As well as being an indicator of the employee’s satisfaction with their role, this question also gives insights into the overall workplace culture.
2. I feel motivated to go above and beyond for [Company]
This question addresses motivation very directly, but frames it within the context of the company itself. This puts more emphasis on how employee motivation relates to the company as a whole and not just their individual role.
3. I rarely think about leaving [Company] for another role
This question helps to gauge both the employee’s present and future commitment to the company. Another variation of this question could be: “I still see myself working for [Company] in x years.”
Development and progression
Having the opportunity to develop themselves both personally and professionally is a key factor in supporting employee engagement. This is particularly important when looking to increase company loyalty, as investing in employees and helping them to build their skills shows them that you’re planning to keep them around in the longer term.
Examples of development and progression questions include:
4. There are good career opportunities for me at [Company]
Many people find staying in the same role for a period of years to be dull and uninspiring, which can lead to dissatisfaction. Having a variety of career progressions helps to keep employees motivated, and can also offer a financial incentive for them to stay with the company in the long term.
5. [Company] cares about my personal development
As well as training and development related to performing their roles, helping employees to improve soft skills such as communication and problem solving can help them to engage more effectively with their coworkers. Supporting them in this helps to boost company loyalty and employee retention.
6. My manager conducts regular performance reviews with me
Performance reviews are a great way to check in with employees, share feedback about the quality of their work, and discuss their career aspirations. These conversations help to create an action plan and foster engagement.
Leadership, their performance and communication
How employees feel about those in leadership positions can have a direct impact on their engagement and motivation. Pay close attention to patterns in the responses about how managers and team leaders, as a significant number of negative responses could point to problems that need to be addressed.
Here are some examples of employee engagement survey questions about leadership:
7. I trust my team leader to support me when I need it
Including a question that talks about trust is a great way to get a clearer picture of how much confidence employees have in team leaders and those in management roles.
8. My manager is a great role model for my team
Strong role models are important in boosting engagement. It gives people something more concrete to aim for, as well as providing mentorship opportunities that could help senior members of the team to engage with those in more junior roles.
9. My manager keeps me informed about what’s happening at [Company]
Communication is a key element of employee performance, and employees are more likely to feel engaged with their team and the company as a whole if they are kept informed. Addressing issues with communication can be a quick fix to improve employee engagement and motivation.
Diversity and inclusion
Diversity and inclusion cover a wide range of aspects relating to fair treatment and adequate representation, which can be extremely important for helping employees to feel valued and motivated. As well as protected characteristics such as race, gender and disability, this topic covers a more general sense of belonging and mutual respect.
Examples of diversity and inclusion questions for your engagement survey include:
10. I trust [Company] to treat all employees fairly
People who feel that some employees are treated differently than others will be less likely to trust and engage with the company. This could be based on their own experience, or the experiences of other employees that they have witnessed or been told about.
11. I feel like I belong at [Company]
Some employees may feel happy and at home in the workplace, while others may feel like they are only there to earn a paycheck. Employees who feel engaged and part of the wider team are more likely to perform well, and to remain in their role for a longer period of time.
12. [Company] is committed to meeting the needs of employees with disabilities
Ensuring that you meet the needs of employees with disabilities shows that the company respects and supports everyone. This can help to boost engagement and company pride for employees both with and without disabilities.
Alignment with company goals and company culture
Employees who feel a connection to the company and its goals are more likely to be engaged and productive. It can be hard to stay motivated if employees don’t agree with what the company is doing, or if they are unsure about what goals they should be working towards.
Some questions you might ask about how aligned employees feel with the company include:
13. I receive recognition when I do good work
As well as boosting morale and showing your appreciation, recognising the efforts of employees helps to strengthen their understanding of company goals. This shows that they are on the right track and helps to keep them motivated to work hard for the benefit of the company.
14. [Company] makes decisions that prioritise quality
It can be easy for companies to fall into the trap of prioritising profits at the expense of delivering a quality product or service. Employees who feel that the business exists only to make a profit and not to provide solutions are less likely to feel aligned with the company goals.
15. I understand how my work fits into [Company]’s goals
Employees can’t know whether they feel aligned with company goals if these goals aren’t being communicated to them. Not knowing what they’re aiming to achieve can leave employees feeling disinterested and disengaged.
Resources and enablement
If employees don’t have access to the resources or support they need to perform their roles successfully, they will likely start to become frustrated and lose motivation. Finding and remedying areas of friction here offers quick wins in boosting employee engagement and productivity.
Here are some examples of engagement survey questions about resources and enablement:
16. I have access to everything I need to perform my role
Employees who don’t have the equipment, training or support required to perform their job role may struggle and feel unappreciated. Employees may also feel that they aren’t given enough time or information to complete tasks effectively.
17. The systems and processes at [Company] help me to get my work done efficiently
It’s often the case that the decision makers who purchase software and equipment or design work processes aren’t the ones who actually use them. Gaining insights into how these systems and processes actually function day-to-day and making improvements can improve engagement and productivity.
18. [Company] takes steps to support my professional development
Employees don’t want to be seen as a resource; they want to continue to learn and grow within their roles. Providing tools, resources and time for employees to work on their professional development shows that you are invested in them, and nurtures loyalty.
Employee satisfaction
Satisfied employees are typically more engaged and vice versa. By measuring employee satisfaction as part of your engagement survey, you can get a better understanding of how individuals feel about their place within the organisation, and how likely they are to go above and beyond in their role.
You might like to ask employee satisfaction questions such as:
19. I feel excited about coming to work everyday
Employees who are looking forward to their workday are likely to be highly engaged and motivated. Ideally, you want a lot of positive responses to this question. If the feedback is negative, it’s worth discussing this topic in more detail to see what would drive excitement and positivity.
20. [Company] provides a good employee benefits package
Adequately compensating your employees for their roles is almost the bare minimum; going above and beyond to reward them for their hard work and loyalty will help to keep employees motivated. It might be worth asking which employee benefits they feel should be added to improve job satisfaction.
21. I enjoy working with my team
The people who surround us often have a direct impact on our mood. Being part of a team that is friendly, positive and supportive can really boost productivity and morale, and helps to make employees feel like they are part of a wider group and not just an individual at a company.
Open-ended employee engagement questions
Questions that require a free-form text answer can provide deeper information about important topics that can’t be captured in a Likert scale. Use these questions sparingly, as they can be time consuming to fill out, and respondents will be less likely to provide meaningful answers. Avoid questions that are too broad and vague, as these can be difficult to collate when it comes to analysing the responses.
Examples of open-ended employee engagement questions include:
22. What do you think [Company] does well?
While the ultimate goal of the survey is to improve employee engagement, it’s always worth understanding what’s currently working. This can help to inform decisions about how to improve any areas of friction that are highlighted.
23. What do you think [Company] could improve on?
This question invites respondents to share negatives about their experiences working for the company, which some people may feel uncomfortable doing otherwise. It’s worth noting that asking what could be improved may yield different responses than asking what the company does poorly.
24. Do you have any further comments to add that haven’t been covered already?
This question should come at the very end of the survey. It gives employees the opportunity to bring up anything that they feel hasn’t yet been addressed, either positive or negative. If you receive a lot of similar responses to this question, you might want to consider including a question about that topic in future surveys.
How to get the most from your employee engagement survey findings
Once your employees have filled out the engagement survey, it’s important to analyse the findings and use them to inform future business decisions. Using a Likert scale makes collating responses quicker and easier. Results can be shown in a table, graph or pie chart for ease of understanding at a glance
Text-based responses offer great opportunities to share quotes that highlight how employees feel about the company. By pulling out key quotes, both positive and negative, you can give decision makers an overview of what issues need to be addressed while also acknowledging successes. This makes it easier for multiple stakeholders to give their input on the engagement survey without having to read through the responses themselves.
Remember to feed back to your employees and share the results of the survey. This helps them to better understand how their own thoughts and experiences match up with the wider organisation, and offers lots of opportunities for discussion. It might be useful to hold a company-wide presentation to go through the results, or small-scale meetings to discuss feedback in more detail and ask for ideas and suggestions.
The most important thing of all is to use the results of your survey to take action and work to improve employee engagement in the future. Keep employees informed of any engagement strategies you’ve put in place, and follow up with regular surveys to gauge the results.
Analysing and improving engagement is an ongoing process
By taking the time to put together the right set of employee engagement survey questions, you can create a valuable tool to boost the overall productivity of your organisation. It’s important to invest in the people who are performing the everyday duties that keep your business running, and ensure that they are motivated to work hard.
Analysing and improving engagement is an ongoing process, and one that shouldn’t be overlooked. Remember to focus on the real people who make up your team, and don’t fall into the trap of offering hollow gestures and false promises. Meaningful contributions don’t have to be complicated or expensive; by simply listening to what your employees need and taking the time to provide it, you can turn an unengaged workforce into a happy, productive and engaged one.
